There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce

Starred review from January 16, 2017
Employing fierce language and eschewing fear of unflattering light, Parker (Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night) pays homage to the deep roots and collective wisdom of black womanhood. In “13 Ways of Looking at a Black Girl,” Parker reflects the rippling noise facilitated by patriarchy and white supremacy. Her word choices—“sex,” “sassy,” “low-income,” “mean,” “exotic,” etc.—emphasize the way that black women are dehumanized and objectified through language. It’s a representative example of Parker’s vision of how a woman’s identity can be shaped by the labels forced upon her. In “Freaky Friday Starring Beyoncé and Lady Gaga,” the two pop stars are posed not as adversaries but as host and parasite; Lady Gaga becomes a metaphor for white supremacy’s theft of black culture and its compulsion to discredit black genius. Parker writes, “I’d miss my booty/ in your butt/ would hate/ to reach back/ and find history/ borrowed not branded.” She also examines self-doubt in the roiling poem “The President’s Wife,” wondering “What does beautiful cost do I afford it/ Do I roll off the tongue/ Is America going to be sick.” Parker’s poems are as flame-forged as a chain locked around soft ankles. Agent: Dan Kirschen and Tina Wexler, ICM.

January 1, 2017

In this book of poems about more than Beyonce but also crucially about Beyonce, poet Parker considers history and the future, performance and interiority, humor and tragedy, politics and art.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2017
Today your open eyes are two fresh buds, Parker concludes in Poem on Beyonce's birthday, Anything could be waiting. And in this simmering stew of pop culture and politics, history and humor, wild imagination and wit, anything really could be waiting. Parker's second collection, following her prizewinning debut, Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night (2015), exquisitely examines American values, often summoning its celebritiesBeyonce, Michelle Obama, Lou Reedto illuminate society's staggering shortcomings and the intricacies of black womanhood. These are Dangerous Times, Man, Parker titles one poem, and so they are as she takes on various personas. As Michelle Obama, Parker considers invisibility ( Am I a moon no one sees ); as Beyonce, she ponders performance ( Never give them / what they want, when they want it ); as the Hottentot Venus, she laments captivity ( I am technically nothing / human ). Yet despite fluctuations in voice, these poems are, without a doubt, Parker's as she encapsulates vulnerability, feminism, and utter fearlessness in rhythmic, glittering verse. In a nod to Mickalene Thomas, Parker writes, We bright enough to blind you. Her words truly are.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

February 15, 2017

Cheeky and luscious yet ever aching, this collection from Pushcart Prize winner Parker (Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night) uses a tough vernacular to unfold the story of a black woman. She's sybaritic with a reason ("When I drink anything/ out of a martini glass/ I feel untouched by/ professional and sexual/ rejection"), battles anguish her way ("I could die any minute of depression/ I just want to have sex most of the time"), and sees the world measuring her harshly even as she measures herself ("I'm not woman enough for these days"). In her quest, Beyonce serves as touchstone, both dream icon and arguing point (see the title), and it's refreshing to see her entertain possibilities ("Today your open eyes are two fresh buds/ anything could be waiting") as she tiptoes through the "garden of soiled panties." VERDICT Passionate and engaged, honest yet not earnest, this work has the occasional stretched phrase but is highly recommended.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.